Business owner DeKalb creates NFT with local artist to raise money for Ukraine – Shaw Local

DeKALB – Two residents of the DeKalb area creates a non-fungible tokencommonly referred to as NFT, intended to help raise funds in support of those affected by the crisis in Ukraine following a Russian invasion.

Matt Binder, owner of Lord Stanley’s and the Annex and World Famous Pizza in DeKalb, said he hopes to partner with reputable organizations to create the “standwithukrainenft” token. He said the purchase of each unit of the NFT will help raise funds which could then be sent to those affected by the conflict without facing bank sanctions.

Binder said the artist who created the image of the hand making a peace sign in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, Larissa Barnat, previously worked for him at World Famous Pizza.

“So when the idea originally came to me, I saw that she had already done the peace sign artwork,” Binder said. “And I thought it would be amazing if it was done in Ukrainian colors.”

Barnat, a professional artist living in DeKalb, said she was heartbroken to witness the crisis in Ukraine and those suffering from it.

“Although we may be limited to directly influencing events overseas, we can find out about the issues,” Barnat wrote in an email to the Daily Chronicle. “Through this NFT, I show my support for this relief effort [through] We stand with Ukraine.

Binder describes NFTs as works of art that cannot be copied and have digital ledgers or blockchains attached to them to prevent people from doing so.

“With blockchain, you can trace back to its origins,” he said. He said that while NFTs can work similarly to shares of a company, his intention for Ukrainian NFT is not to increase its value.

“We just do it to raise money,” Binder said.

As the owner of several NFTs himself, he said the idea came to him one day after seeing news footage of the Russian military invading Ukraine.

“After seeing people suffer and houses blowing up, it was clear that funds had to be raised and given to them,” Binder said.

The eastern side of Ukraine was first bombarded less than two weeks ago by military bombardment when Russian troops entered the country via Belarus. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, an attack that included airstrikes and missiles on Ukrainian military installations before troops and tanks crossed the northern, eastern and southern borders.

President Joe Biden announced new sanctions on February 24 targeting Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors. The United States and its allies will freeze the assets of four major Russian banks, impose export controls and sanction the oligarchs.

“It’s a way to get the money to the Ukrainian people without having all the banking restrictions,” Binder said. “And we have the ability to transfer the cryptocurrency directly to them.”

Olga Safris, a Ukrainian-born DeKalb resident, said she moved to the United States in 2001 with her mother after leaving Dnipro, which is one of the towns affected by the conflict. She said she graduated from DeKalb High School and Northern Illinois University since arriving in the United States.

“I used to go to Ukraine every summer and visit,” Safris said. “But after having my daughter, I [have] only went back once.

Safris said she was able to speak with her father, who lives in Crimea, on February 23 – with her brother and mother on February 24 – via Skype.

“Nobody wants this war.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.